Thomas O'Shea-Wheller

I am interested in the complex interactions that govern collective behaviour, ecology, and self-organisation within social insects. My research centres upon the intersection between fundamental investigations of colony functioning, and applied work in ecology and epidemiology. I use ants, honeybees, bumblebees and termites as models to assess network dynamics, with a focus on the role of interindividual heterogeneity.

Currently, I am studying honeybee epidemiology and genetics, the dynamics of parasite-pathogen interactions within insect colonies, collective decision-making in ants, and the detection and behavioural classification of invasive hornets using artificial intelligence.

The central aim of my research is to leverage an understanding of the rules underpinning complex systems; both to solve real-world challenges, and enhance mechanistic knowledge at a variety of scales. I value social insect models, as they provide tractable and fascinating tools with which to investigate applied and fundamental questions in biology.